This invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program storage medium and a program, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program storage medium and a program wherein stored image data are displayed in various display manners in connection with a map to make an observer feel happy.
As one of techniques of managing photograph images stored as digital data, a technique is known wherein map data and photograph data are combined. According to this technique, positions on a map and picked up photograph images are stored in a connected relationship with each other into an apparatus such as, for example, a computer, and the map is displayed on the screen of a display unit provided for the apparatus such as a computer. Then, if a point at which a photograph was taken is designated on the map, then the photograph image picked-up at the designated point is displayed as an image of a reduced size (such an image is hereinafter referred to as thumbnail icon) in the proximity of the designated point.
Such thumbnail icons representative of image data and position icons representative of positions on the map are displayed in a corresponding relationship to each other, and if a certain position icon is selected, then a corresponding thumbnail icon is displayed, or if a certain thumbnail icon is selected, then a corresponding position icon is displayed. Thus, a large amount of image data can be managed readily and displayed intelligibly.
However, although each position icon includes position information of photographing, it does not include time series information representative of the time of image pickup, and indicates only a point. Therefore, if the user wants to know image pickup time information, then the user must perform another screen operation of selecting a thumbnail icon to obtain image pickup time information or the like.
Further, since the technique described above does not involve display means for implementing such a function as to display the place and the time of image pickup on an actual map as a memory, it merely displays picked up photographs as an album and cannot allow the user to enjoy the display satisfactorily.